Urology and gynecology bench

ABSTRACT

An improved urological or gynecological examination- and treatment bench of the kind which comprises a frame having a lowermost portion and an uppermost portion, preferably designed as a pivotal arm and raisable and lowerable carrying a back cushion ( 11 ) that is individually adjustable at least to its angular position with respect to the horizontal plane, and at least one seat cushion ( 12 ) which is similarly individually adjustable to its angular position with respect to the horizontal plane. At least one of the pivatal axis for the angular adjustment of the back cushion ( 11 ) or the seat cushion ( 12 ) may be released and is arranged in such a manner that it is adjustable in dependence of a change of position of the pivotal axis of the other cushion, so that the two cushions are jointly movable under operation of only one of them and while retaining their mutual angular position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an improved urology and gynecologybench of the kind which is used at urological and gynecologicalexaminations and treatment of various kinds.

The invention has been created in connection with certain urologicalexaminations, and, therefore, it will be disclosed essentially withreference to such use, but it is by no means restricted to that field ofuse only.

2. Description of the Related Art

An appreciated urological and gynecological examination and treatmentbench comprises, in its basic design, a preferably easily movable framewhich carries a back cushion and a seat cushion, besides ordinary arm,leg and foot supports etc. The frame comprises a lowermost frame portionwhich carries an arm that is pivotally connected thereto at thelowermost end and thereof and which caries the back cushion and the seatcushion at the outer, uppermost end thereof. Therefore, these cushionsmay be elevated and lowered by a corresponding movement of the pivotallyjournalled arm. The cushions may also be swung individually in order toadjust their inclination in relation to a horizontal plane. Simplified,the cushions may be described, in one position, as forming a horizontaltable, and, in another position, may be described as forming a chair.The angular positions of the cushions are infinitely variable and theadjustment of the cushions may be supported by gas-springs or the like.Normally, both the raising and lowering movements of the pivotal arm andthe adjustment of the angular positions of the two cushions is performedby means of suitable motors. Of course, a known examination andtreatment bench has the necessary support and locking devices to securethe elevational and inclinational positions of the cushions. Normally,the back cushion may also be folded backwardly beyond a horizontalposition into a shock position, wherein the patient, resting on hisback, has his head situated in a lower position than his body.

A urological and gynecological examination bench of the just describedkind is very adaptable for various demands because of the possibility toindividually adjust the two cushions both with respect to their heightposition and their inclinational position. However, this possibility toindividually adjust also involves a not unimportant problem in certainspecific cases. Thus, there exists a need for a simple variation of theangular position of the cushions, in one single step, and withoutvariation of their mutual angular position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a device that meets the above mentionedneed.

To this end, the improved urological or gynecological examination andtreatment bench comprises a frame having a lowermost portion and anuppermost portion, preferably designed as a pivotal arm and raisable andlowerable carrying a back cushion that is individually adjustable, atleast to its angular position with respect to the horizontal plane, anda seat cushion which is similarly individually adjustable, at least toits angular position with respect to the horizontal plane. According tothe invention, at least one of the pivotal axes for the angularadjustment of the back cushion or the seat cushion may be released andis arranged in such a manner that is adjustable in dependence of achange of position of the pivotal axis of the other cushion, so that thetwo cushions are movable together under operation of only one of themand while retaining their mutual angular position.

Preferable, the pivot axis of the back cushion and the seat cushion arearranged in movable brackets at each side of the examination andtreatment bench. The brackets are lockable in fixed position.

Preferably, the device according to the invention should also be able tobe incorporated into existing examination and treatment benches.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be disclosed in more detail below with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art examination and treatmentbench and shows the type of equipment which the device according to thepresent invention is intended to be utilized.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the examination and treatment bench in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a portion of an examination and treatmentbench, provided with one embodiment of the improvement according to thepresent invention.

FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively, illustrate two different ways ofemploying the examination and treatment bench incorporating a deviceaccording to the present invention, wherein FIGS. 4 and 5 show a“German” model whereas FIGS. 6 and 7 show an “American” model.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate details of a slightly further developedembodiment of the device according to the invention in two positions ofthe back cushion and seat cushion, respectively, shown as examples.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The urological and gynecological examination and treatment bench, shownin FIGS. 1 and 2 as an example of the type of equipment in which thedevice according to the invention is intended to operate. The benchincludes an easily movable frame 10 which carries a back cushion 11 anda seat cushion 12, besides the usual arms rest, legs rest 13 and footrest. (The arm and foot rests are not shown in FIG. 1 and 2).

The frame 10 comprises a lowermost frame portion 14, which carries anarm 15 that is pivotally journalled at its lowermost end, and whichcaries the back cushion 11 and seat cushion 12 at its outermost end.Therefore, these cushions may be elevated and lowered by movement of thepivotally journalled arm 15. The cushions 11, 12 may also be swungindividually in order to vary their inclination with respect to ahorizontal plane. To simplify, the cushions 11, 12, in one positionthereof, form a horizontal table, whereas, in another position they forma chair, as will be disclosed in more detail below.

The inclined positions of the cushions 11, 12 are infinitely adjustable,and the positioning of the cushions 11, 12 may be sustained by gassprings 16, 17 or the like.

The elevational and lowering movements of the pivotal arm 15 may beperformed by means of a suitable positioning motor assembly 18 which ispivotally mounted at 18A and 18B. The swinging motion of the backcushion to adjust the inclined position thereof in relation to thehorizontal is performed by means of a second positioning motor assembly19 which is pivotally connected at 19A to the back cushion frame 11A andto the bracket 21 at 19B. The swinging motion of the seat cushion 12 toadjust the inclined position thereof in relation to the horizontal isperformed by a suitable third positioning motor assembly 20 pivotallyconnected to the seat cushion at 20A and to the bracket 21 at 20B.

A bracket 14A is provided on the lowermost frame portion 14 in which thelowermost end of the pivotal arm 15 is pivotally journalled. Thelowermost end of the gas spring 17 is also pivotally journalled in thebracket 14A. The upper bracket 21, in which the uppermost end of thepivotal arm 15 and the uppermost end of the gas spring 17 are pivotallyconnected at some distance from each other, form together with thepivotal arm 15 and the gas spring 17 a parallelogram linkage system. Thelinkage system ensures that the back cushion 11 and the seat cushion 12,which both are pivoted to the uppermost bracket as above described tomaintain their mutual angular positions while being raised and loweredin relation to the floor. Of course, these angular positions aredependent on the control of the positioning motor assemblies 19, 20. Dueto its function as an immovable support for the lowermost ends of thepositioning motor assemblies 19, 20, the bracket 21 is also a fixedmotor support.

To stabilize the bench, there is preferably provided an uppermostbracket 21 and the necessary gas springs etc. in pairs on both sides ofthe bench, although only one member of the respective pairs is shown inthe drawings.

In the preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, asshown in FIG. 3, the fixed motor support bracket 21 is supplemented by amovable bracket 22, which may be locked in the position shown relativeto the bracket 21 by means of a latch 23. When the bracket 22 is in itslocked position, it operates in the same manner as has been disclosedabove with reference to the fixed support bracket 21 as the pivot point19B for the positioning motor assembly 19 is retained at a fixeddistance from the pivot point 20B between the positioning motor assembly20 and the bracket 22. This means that the back cushion 11 and the seatcushion 12 are individually adjustable into their different angularpositions by means of their respective positioning motor assembliesabout a pivot axis 30.

The movable bracket 22 has an upwardly foldable strut 24 which may restagainst the frame 11A of the back cushion 11 in the plane positionthereof, as shown. Now, if the frame of the back cushion is swungdownwardly into a “shock-position”, as is shown by dashed lines in FIG.3, the movable bracket 22 is urged clockwise according to the arrow inFIG. 3, so that the latch 23 may be released from the bracket 22. If theframe 11A of the back cushion 11 is then swung upwardly or downwardly,the movable bracket 22 and therewith the frame of the seat cushion willfollow this swinging motion while the angular position of the seatcushion, in relation to the frame of the back cushion is retained.

As mentioned above and as FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate, one way of utilizingthe device according to the invention in an urological and gynecologicalexamination bench is shown. According to FIG. 4, a patient P is placedon the back cushion 11 with his legs angled upwardly. This position is,according to a “German” model, considered to be most suitable for e.g.insertion of a catheter into the urine bladder B. When it has beenascertained that the tip of the catheter has been introduced into thedesired position, the back cushion 11 and the seat cushion 12, whileretaining their angular relationship, will be swung jointly andsimultaneously into such a position that the patient become sitting withhis weight resting essentially on the seat cushion 12, in which case theurine bladder of the patient will thus be disposed at an ordinary heightabove the outlet, and the urine pressure thus becomes ordinary.

According to FIGS. 6 and 7, the patient P is placed, resting on hisback, on the now horizontal back cushion/seat cushion unit, completed bysuitable foot-supports 26. This unit has, according to the “American”model a slightly lower seat cushion than in the “German” model, and ismaintained in its entirety in horizontal position for introduction of acatheter or the like. When the catheter has been introducedsatisfactorily, the entire unit, comprising the seat cushion and theback cushion, is swung into a generally vertical position, as shown inFIG. 7, in which the patient becomes standing. It should be noted thatthe urine bladder B, also in this case, will be disposed at an ordinarylevel, so that the urine pressure becomes ordinary.

From the above description it should be clear that the invention, allowsthe release of at least one of the individually adjustable back and seatcushions from its ordinary support bracket 22 to instead connect thereleased cushion to the other one of the cushions in such a manner thatthe two cushions become jointly adjustable while retaining their angularrelationship with respect to one another.

The above “mechanical” version of the device according to the inventionhas been described. It should be noted that an “operational” version maybe conceived wherein operational impulses of the positioning motors arecontrolled in such a manner that, in one case, the back cushion and theseat cushion are individually adjustable, whereas, in an alternativecase, they are interconnected in such a manner that they are jointlyadjustable while retaining an unchanged angular relationship to eachother, in which case, only one of the cushions need be adjusted whilethe other simply follows the movement of the first one.

The embodiment as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, which is slightly furtherimproved as compared to the above described embodiment comprises,telescopically extendable struts 27 between the movable bracket 22 andthe back cushion 11 (or, more precisely, the frame 11A thereof). Onesuch strut 27 is provided on each side of the table. The struts 27 areadapted to be locked automatically in predetermined positions, such asby a resilient pin 27A in one portion of the strut entering a suitablehole in the other portion of the strut. Of course, a plurality ofdifferent, preferably easily releasable locking means are conceivablefor interlocking the parts of the telescopic struts in the desiredpositions. It should be realized that by locking or unlocking,respectively, the struts, that the back and seat cushions 11, 12 moveeither jointly, preferably by operation of a suitable positioning motor28, or individually and entirely independent of each other, preferablyby operation of the positioning motors 28 and 29, respectively.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a urological or gynecological examination andtreatment bench which includes a frame (10) having a lower portion (14)and an upper portion (15), said upper portion being pivotally adjustableat one end with respect to said lower portion so as to raise and loweran outer end thereof, said outer end carrying a back member (11) andfirst means (19, 28) for individually adjusting an angular position ofsaid back member with respect to a horizontal plane, a seat member (12)and a second means (20, 29) for individually adjusting an angularposition of said seat member with respect to the horizontal plane, theimprovement comprising; a fixed bracket (21) carried by said outer endof said upper frame portion, said first means for individually adjustingbeing mounted to said fixed bracket, a movable bracket (22) carried bysaid outer end of said upper frame portion, said seat member and saidback member being pivotable about a pivot axis (30) to said fixedbracket and said movable bracket, said second means (20, 29) forindividually adjusting said seat member (12) being pivotally connectedto said movable bracket (22), and locking means (27, 27A, 23) forreleasably securing said movable bracket (22) in a fixed orientationrelative to said fixed bracket whereby said back member and said seatmember are thereafter simultaneously moveable while being in a constantangular relationship to one another by adjustment of one of said firstmeans for individually adjusting or said second means for individuallyadjusting.
 2. The urological or gynecological examination and treatmentbench of claim 1 in which said locking means includes a latch (23) forreleasing engaging said movable bracket such that said movable bracketremains in fixed relative orientation with respect to said fixed bracketuntil said latch is released from said movable bracket.
 3. Theurological or gynecological examination and treatment bench of claim 2in which said movable bracket includes a foldable strut (24) forselectively engaging said back member when said back member is orientedin a generally horizontal position.
 4. The urological or gynecologicalexamination and treatment bench of claim 1 wherein said locking meansincludes an extendable strut (27) pivotally connected between said backmember and said movable bracket and means (27A) for retaining saidextendable strut in an adjusted position.